Sunday, July 14, 2013

Dear North Carolina

Dear North Carolina,

I began writing this on the shores of your beaches. I write this as an alumna of a university in your mountains. I write this as a native who has traveled the country, and yet I've never wanted to call anywhere else home. I write this as a state employee; I write this as a public school teacher.

North Carolina, you're breaking my heart.

I wish you could see the faces of my children, but they're just numbers to you. No, I'm not a mother; I'm a teacher. It's interesting to me how, when you start teaching, children go from being "those kids" to "these kids" to "my kids". Those kids, these kids, are your kids, North Carolina.

There's a saying at my workplace: once yours, always yours- meaning that, once a child has been in your class, they're your student forever. After my first year of teaching, I have 26 children- 22 six year olds at a time, about a third of which who have varying degrees of special needs, and usually by myself, thanks to your cutting Teacher Assistant positions.

As a teacher, I'm not in it for the income- I'm in it for the outcome. I know that. I get it. I live it daily. At the same time, a girl's got to pay her bills and buy groceries.

Hear me clearly: I was perfectly aware that I was not signing up to get rich, and I'm fine with that. I'm great with that, actually- material things have never been the way to my heart. However, a living wage in a career that has a minimum requirement of a four year degree is not too much to ask. I've been researching- my search isn't complete yet, but I've found enough to know I'm dangerously close to qualifying for public assistance. I may actually qualify and just haven't found where to look yet. Hear me clearly on this, too: I do not have a problem with public assistance. At all. I've seen the ways it helps people and makes their lives better. I believe public assistance is for those who need it. An able-bodied 23 year old with a college degree who is employed full-time by the state should not need it, should not even be close.

Oh, North Carolina. I wish I could tell you the number of times well-intentioned people who love me have encouraged me to take my college degree into the private sector, to go somewhere where I am appreciated, both in financial compensation and in regards to respect. I wish I could tell you how many scoff at the Master's degree I'm pursuing- in Special Education, no less- and ask, "for what?"

"For what?"

...for those 26 little faces. For teaching a student who has autism to read, to hear him say "I can read! I am so happy I have tears!" For the notes with 1st grade spelling, "I love Ms. Moran becos she is nise and good to me and becos she loves me too. She mex me happy." For the student who told me I'm the only person who has ever been proud of him. For the "Hey, Ms. Moran!" and a hug in the hallway from kids I've never taught. For the progress I've seen with the student who knew about half of the alphabet at the beginning of the school year to be reading on grade level by the end of a school year- more than two years worth of growth. For students who couldn't count this time last year to be doing addition and subtraction, and they can explain why it works. For the opportunity to give kids a chance to be better. For kids to give me a chance to be better.

Those children, these childen, your children are your future, North Carolina. They are your most valuable resource- more than any energy source. They are your greatest investment- more than any federal bail out. Please, be careful. Putting as many as you can into a classroom is not okay. Cutting the number of school employees- people who teach them, love them, and keep them safe- is not okay. Wake up and look around and see their value. See their potential. Give them the resources they need to reach that potential. You owe it to them. They are so, so worth it. And I promise, they'll pay it forward.

My precious friend! I DID cry because I know and love you so well AND because my daughter shares your heart as well! It is is because of your awesome words that I WILL BE RENEWING my application at your school as a volunteer! Blessings to you and your sweet ones this upcoming school year! Love,Ginni

Kayla, I do not personally know you, however, I too am a teacher. What you have said is exactly right! It is not to be rich why I decided late in life to go back to college and get my B.S. degree in elementary education. It is for the love of children. I have taught for the past 8 years, Kindergarten, 3, 4, and 5 grades. I love each grade level. What makes it all worth while is the look on a child's face when he/she "gets it"! Or the hugs I get in the morning, afternoon. Knowing I can make a difference in their lives when so many don't have a caring adult at home. I have seen so many have to take care of younger children themselves because their parents have to work, or one parent is not around. That is a lot of responsibility to place on an elementary school child. So if I can make a difference in their lives, I try. Those that take away our assistants, make our classrooms larger, don't spend the much needed money to get the proper books or equipment to use with our children don't get it. Our children are NC future! If we don't help them, who will?

Thanks Kayla, because you know that all of us feel the same way about our children. You will be getting some of "my babies" this coming year, love them and set expectations high..they will rise to the challenge...I know them well, I had some of them first before anyone else...they will always be my babies-even when they graduate!

This letter, along with many other testimonies to the greatness of our profession, should be read aloud on the steps of every capitol in every state and on the steps of the US capitol each and every day until someone listens. I am a retired special education teacher and grandmother to two darling boys and I will fight to my dying day for freedom to teach and the freedom to learn. Thank you for the eloquence of your words and heart you take to the classroom.

There is nothing more important than raising the next generation of humans to be creative thinkers, enthusiastic learners and caring and compassionate citizens. I am sharing your message. Thank you for your words!

Kayla, I posted this on facebook because I was so moved by your words. Another teacher posted the following and I wanted to make sure you heard her words of support:

Dear Kayla, Thank you for putting into words what those of us of the teaching PROFESSION feel in our hearts everyday. I will be reposting your letter to my timeline so all my teacher friends can be empowered with your words! Thank you! Janice from DE

I, too, am an educator and have been one for 25 years. I have a son who is a high school teacher and coach, a daughter who is a first year elementary school teacher, and a daughter-in-law who is a middle school teacher. Happily, they are all well-liked and respected by their colleagues. Unhappily, two of them are already thinking about leaving the profession or moving to another state to teach. Not because they dislike teaching; because they cannot make a living doing so in North Carolina. My daughter has wanted to teach since she was in second grade. When she figured her budget for this month, she will clear $20!! I want legislators to understand that she does not expect to get rich teaching. It would , however, be nice to make ends meet!!

Kayla, I am a teacher in Michigan. I work for the poorest district on the west side of the state and our pay showed it. My district was the worst paid in West Michigan, and among the 5 lowest paid in the state. In most districts, Special Educators start at $42,000 per year. They get extra because of the extra course work we have to take along with the extra time we put into student teaching. Not me, I started at the same rate as a first year teacher in any grade/specialty/endorsement. I am certified in Elementary Ed, K-8 Ed in self contained classrooms, K-12 Special ed as well as highly qualified in Secondary Social Studies, English/Language Arts and Math. And I teach in a district where may of my colleagues are on public assistance for food and insurance. In my case our insurance rates rose so ridiculously high that we were forced to file for bankruptcy. We could no longer pay our bills on what I now brought home. This was the fault of our state legislators who thought we weren't worth the basic benefit packages we already paid for, so they thought an extra $200-600 out of each paycheck was called for to cover medical insurance for now and our retirement, extra money needed to come out for our pensions and we were mandated to get another pension plan to cover the gap in what we used to get upon retirement and what we will get now upon retirement. Then our legislature slammed through a Right to Work law that made our unions, all of them but most especially state employees, ineffective. They basically took away the unions for teachers, paramedics, firefighters and police officers, the most important people in our communities! That meant our employers could tell us they were cutting our already pitiful pay and there was nothing we or our unions could do about it. I have no idea why our governments have declared war on teachers, but I feel your pain. . The war on teachers extends nationwide. What I don't get is why the most important people in their children's lives are being vilified like we are. Do they think they would hold public office if it weren't for teachers? When they make these destructive decisions, did they ever once for a brief minute, think about where they would be if it weren't for their teachers? Did they think about how much harder we work and how much harder we have it than their childhood teachers did? Do they even care what happens to their children's educations now and in the future? Far too many excellent teachers are leaving the profession because we are sick and tired of getting kicked around, beaten by laws and treated lower than the dirt under their shoes. We have stayed as long as we have because of our kids, but there is only so much abuse we can stand and most of our states have hit the limits of our tolerance. Kayla, I feel your pain and I live it every single day.

Brenda Barnes: Amazing motivation as I begin to set up for the next year with my kids.Lissa Graham: Beautiful...and I fear it will fall on deaf ears.Donna Hamburg Bailey: This letter brought me to tears. It doesn't matter if you're from North Carolina or Texas, if you teach you understand this. Thank you for putting my feelings into words so eloquently.

Kayla, Please send this to our legislators. We are all so disturbed and angry. Your depiction of the impact these legislative decisions will have on our students and our state are phrased beautifully. Please pass this forward.

I know you do not know me, but I am a school administrator in North Carolina. You so eloquently stated what every educator is feeling right now! You should be very proud of yourself for verbalizing it so perfectly. You are a leader. While sadly, it may not go very far, this needs to be heard! Please do whatever you can to make that happen!

I applaud your passion and especially your interest in children with special needs, but teachers already make "a living wage." Finnish school teachers make less than their U.S. counterparts and yet Finnish schools dramatically out-perform American ones ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/15/us-education-reform-lessons-from-finland ). The U.S. actually spends far, far more per student on public education than any nation on earth and has for some time now, but the U.S. consistently gets below average results compared to other industrialized nations ( http://rossieronline.usc.edu/u-s-education-versus-the-world-infographic/ ).

I would like to see less testing in order to let teachers actually educate, and they need better support from administration to restore authority that parents and students might actually respect. But more money isn't the answer. When other countries spend far less per student and some even spend less on teachers while getting far superior results, it's clear that money isn't what needs to change.

Any data on cost of living in Finland? What gets taken out of the checks of Finnish teachers? Do they pay for insurance? How are their retirement packages? Any other data?

If there is anything American teachers are tired of most, it may be getting compared to other countries. In other countries, teachers are not expected to make every child college ready. In other countries, some children only get a basic education (reading and basic math only) after grade 3. In most industrialized countries, only what would in our country be considered Honors students take the assessments that are used to compare countries. In other countries, schools are allowed to remove "problem" students. In other countries, teachers are expected to be teachers - not the sole support for many students, providing food, clothing, supplies (at teacher expense), character education, social education (table manners, communication manners, appropriateness of clothing), and emotional education. In other countries, pursuing a career in education is not frowned upon continuously. (As the valedictorian of my high school and an Honors student in college, I was told weekly that I needed to do something more important with my education and intelligence than become a teacher.) Comparing the US to "other countries" is like comparing a high school football team to a professional football team - the playing field is ridiculously uneven.

In a country where pay often equates to respect, yes, money does also need to change. If not, how are we going to recruit the best teachers? Do you not want the "best and brightest" teaching your children? How will we recruit that level of talent if that talent can get paid thousands more and have significantly less stress in other careers? How will we recruit that level of talent if that talent will barely live above the poverty line, especially if that talent wants a family and children? How will we recruit that level of talent if that talent will not be able to pay off college debt - even if they can get part of the debt forgiven after 5 years - and live while in this career? How will we recruit that level of talent if that talent will not be able to get reliable, affordable health care, especially since the out-of-pocket costs for healthcare have increased each year, effectively giving that talent pay cuts each year? Yes, it is also about money.

To add to C. Curin's points: In Finland, teaching is considered one of its most respected professions. They also approach education from a completely different perspective: "But perhaps most striking on the list of what makes Finland’s school system unique is that the country has deliberately rejected the prevailing standardization movement." http://www.newrepublic.com/article/politics/82329/education-reform-Finland-US#They make sure all their teachers are highly trained and, even more importantly: "...unlike U.S. education reformers, Finnish authorities haven’t outsourced school management to for-profit or non-profit organizations, implemented merit pay, or ranked teachers and schools according to test results, they’ve made excellent use of business strategies. They’ve won the war for talent by making teaching so appealing."In short, I think Finland and U.S. are on such opposite ends of the spectrum, I'm not sure we can ever catch up. The differences between our schools go so far beyond money that to compare the two countries based solely on that issue is laughable.The author of the above referenced article concludes: "The Finns have made clear that, in any country, no matter its size or composition, there is much wisdom to minimizing testing and instead investing in broader curricula, smaller classes, and better training, pay, and treatment of teachers." BTW, Finland also offers universal health care. Just saying.

a friend of mine said that he tried to post this comment but couldn't so I am doing it for him....He is Dennis Harris and his Facebook page is:https://www.facebook.com/dennis.harris.9480

With all due respect Ms. Gibson, as an administrator... YOU are a leader. I'm not a teacher nor in any way involved in public education so forgive me if I don't understand the restrictions YOU are faced with. But, shouldn't it be YOU who makes sure that this message is heard in Raleigh? Sure, I would like to see the teachers unite, perhaps strike, to make their point to the legislators... but, don't YOU have a voice? I don't mean to criticize. Perhaps, you can educate me as to your role in all of this. Just what DO administrators and school boards do if not advocate for the rights and benefits of the teachers in their districts? FWIW... I realize that your job is as much at stake as any teacher's who might speak out. But, isn't that why you get paid the big bucks? Do you advocate for better schools? Or must you resign yourself to "administrating" the policies handed down by state legislators? If solely the latter... then, I sadly must pity you more than any of my teacher friends.

THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO DENNIS HARRIS - MY RESPONSES ARE IN ALL CAPS TO DIFFERENTIATE THEM FROM HIS COMMENTS -

With all due respect Ms. Gibson, as an administrator... YOU are a leader. SHE IS A TEACHER NOT ADMIN...ARE YOU CONFUSED ALREADY?

I'm not a teacher nor in any way involved in public education so forgive me if I don't understand the restrictions YOU are faced with. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE IN EDUCATION TO UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION...

But, shouldn't it be YOU who makes sure that this message is heard in Raleigh? SHE DID NOT WRITE HER BLOG TO LECTURE RALEIGH SO WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING HER FOR NOT SHARING IT WITH RALEIGH - IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE'S IDEA TO MAKE THIS A POLITICAL STATEMENT - SHE WAS EXPRESSING HER OPINION ON HER BLOG.

Sure, I would like to see the teachers unite, perhaps strike, to make their point to the legislators... but, don't YOU have a voice? I don't mean to criticize. YES YOU DO MEAN TO AND YOU ARE...

Perhaps, you can educate me as to your role in all of this. Just what DO administrators and school boards do if not advocate for the rights and benefits of the teachers in their districts? REALLY?? HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING?? OMG!!

FWIW... I realize that your job is as much at stake as any teacher's who might speak out. But, isn't that why you get paid the big bucks? OK NOW I CAN SAY IT - YOU ARE AN IDIOT - DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TEACHERS ARE PAID AND HOW MANY HOURS WE WORK EACH DAY/WEEK/YEAR?? OBVIOUSLY NOT!!

Do you advocate for better schools? Or must you resign yourself to "administrating" ((WRONG WORD CHOICE DUDE!!))the policies handed down by state legislators? If solely the latter... then, I sadly must pity you more than any of my teacher friends. NO REALLY - WE ALL PITY YOU!!!!!

What a true and rich way to state how we (teachers) feel about our present situation. My question is how long will we sit by and keep doing what they say we must when it comes to testing, class size, pay. When will educators stop being afraid to stand up together and say enough. I am a veteran of 22 years. I hold a certification in k-6 classroom instruction, k-12 reading instruction, and a MA Ed. in supervision and curriculum specialist. I can teach any child to read who does not have a damaged brain and I have taught some of those. So when my teen age daughter said to me that she would never want to be a teacher it felt really bad, but at the same time I felt a litle relief. It is difficult to get a teaching position in the county where I work because it is a rural system and the largest employer in our county. We make more money than most in our rural area and still qualify for food stamps if you happen to be a single mother with a starting teacher salary. Now, I will say teachers should be paid a fair wage, but there is something wrong with a society who makes fun of the teacher. Who de-values the idea of learning in a classroom. A paradigm shift in education is needed. The old way of doing it has to change and children have to be looked at differently and not according to their date of manufacture. Take a look a Ted Talks on youtube. Great article and send it to legislation.

As an educator in a public school in NC, I have to say thank you! Thank you for expressing so eloquently how I am feeling right now! If teachers were not passionate about what we do, we would not be so vocal. Children...that is why we do what we do! To be respected for the gazillion hours that we pour into our jobs (our children)...because we care...because we chose it as a calling and not just a profession...is not too much to ask! Thanks, again! Angela

A simple Thank You from a Single Mom and teacher whose child is on Medicaid because on my salary he qualified. They are my kids too (my students) and always will be like you said.... This is sooo well written because it obviously comes from the heart.Karen

My wife is a teacher assistant, has been for over 10 yrs. She loves her job. I can't tell you how much work she does for her classroom at home unpaid. almost every night and she's just an assistant. she buys books off ebay all the time with her own money because the students are not provided with the books that they need. I have seen her shed tears when she comes home and tells me about a student with a not so supportive home life learned to read today because of her help. And she says i know i don't get paid alot but that's why i do it. she drives two bus routes every afternoon.The teachers nor students can survive without her and others like her. It took her a long time to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Her life is those kids.

Kayla, well said! This is a problem all over the country. I teach middle school in Florida and we face many of the same issues your state faces. This should be sent to every state governor as well as President Obama, who seems to have forgotten his promises made to NEA during campaigning. When teachers fight for raises people outside the profession act like we don't deserve it as much as someone on Wall Street or in Washington. I'd like to remind those people that a lot of teachers paved their way to the positions they hold as they refuse to allow us a decent wage to make ends meet. Well done!

Thank you! I think you really hit the nail on the head. This is exactly how we feel. It was beautifully written and needs to make the New York Times. I think that NC has lost sight of what those numbers really mean to the future of our state and country. If we don't educate our future, then what future do we have?

High five to you Kayla! Please send this on! In fact your letter and all of the comments below it should be sent to every legislator in NC...we have to flood these guys with emails and phone calls. We have to turn up the heat...

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I'm a Christian, a daughter, a sister, a girlfriend, a roommate, a teacher, a friend. I'm an amateur blogger, a coffee enthusiast, and a decent cook. Also, I consider myself a bit of a cheesecake connoisseur.